


Knowing

by buckydraketrash



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27888139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckydraketrash/pseuds/buckydraketrash
Summary: "... what she shared with Zuko was something more akin to awareness of one another. He always happened to be near, not quite close, right beside her when she needed his particular kind of logic, unique perspective, dry humor, or just understanding silence. "
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Knowing

**Author's Note:**

> (I just really wanted to write Zuko and Katara in a kabedon position, and this happened!)

The final warmth of the summer sun was seeping away as the cool breeze gently rustled the leaves in the park. Their little found-family, or Gaang, as Sokka had lovingly named them one day, was gathered there for the pre-semester picnic, before they all became too busy for organized hangouts. Even though they all went to different schools, through sheer luck, and maybe some spreadsheets-driven convincing from Sokka, they had all ended up in the same city.

So this had become their tradition, one of many.

Aang was cheerily telling them about a higher level philosophy course he was allowed to take with Master Pathik, even though he was a freshman, because his mentor Prof. Yangchen had written him a stellar recommendation letter. Suki was listening intently, while trying to pack up the leftovers neatly, and nudging at Sokka to help, who only sighed a little bit before helping because he didn’t want to look like a spoiled brat in front of his girlfriend.

Toph was laying on the ground, some grass in her hair, and a grin plastered on her face, as she played with a wildflower Katara had stuck in her hair earlier. She only ever allowed Katara to do sugary shit like that, because she knew Katara’s intent was always pure love.

Zuko was browsing his Whiteboard app for any syllabi that might have been posted for his junior year poli-sci classes, and let out a small sigh while setting his phone aside when nothing popped up.

Katara watched them all, her fingers absent-mindedly playing with the ends of her hair. She had been called, on more occasions than she cared to admit, over-emotional, passionate perhaps, but when she looked at her friends in their moments of peace like this, she knew would do anything for them to have this peace forever. A fierce look passed over face, when this silent promise ran through her entire being, and in a moment when she thought she was the observer, she felt eyes on her and her gaze automatically flickered to Zuko’s, who tilted his head slightly in a question, his eyebrow raised, golden eyes holding something more than concern. Her features softened immediately, honestly, and she smiled and nodded.

This silent conversation between them was not uncommon, almost each one of them shared some semblance of telepathy, but what she shared with Zuko was something more akin to awareness of one another. He always happened to be near, not quite close, right beside her when she needed his particular kind of logic, unique perspective, dry humor, or just understanding silence. She was broken out of her reverie once more, when Sokka yawned and stretched loudly, blocking out the harsh light of the setting sun.

Even though it seemed this evening was coming to an end, she knew they would end up crashing at Sokka and Aang’s apartment for a while. So she gathered the picnic blankets neatly, stuffed them in a rucksack and before she could stand up to carry it, Zuko’s hand brushes hers, taking the backpack from her and slinging it over his back with ease before she can even huff a syllable of protest and argue for her capability to carry some weight. To soothe her perhaps,or because he knows she’ll be munching on the peanut brittle while they walk back, he hands her the bag of leftover food. She purses her lips in a failed attempt to squash her smile, but the blush still feathers along her cheeks when she rolls her eyes at him.

Toph bumps into her lightly as they walk in broken groups on the sidewalk, to not be that group of assholes, and loops her arm through Katara’s vacant one. “So, you finally decided on a major yet?” she asks in her straight to business tone, that only Toph seems to have mastered, as she looks on ahead, her milky eyes concentrating on nothing and everything. Katara’s eyes shine as she nods enthusiastically, as she sees Aang and Zuko look towards her to hear her answer as well. “Kinesiology!” she answers with pride, and waits for a breath to see everyone’s reaction. Toph is nodding solemnly, as if mulling on all the possible outcomes of this choice, before she grins in the classic Toph seal of approval grin, and punches Katara’s arm with affection, “I can totally see it!”

“Thanks Toph! I think I can see it too!” she says, as she sees Aang give her a thumbs up enthusiastically. “I can see you doing that! To be honest, you could do anything and make it look like that was what you were meant to do.” he says, all with the earnestness of a thousand suns, and Katara still doesn’t know how to handle that kind of honesty from him. Sure he had said he’d moved past the crush he had on her, but in her brain a little doubt always crept in whenever he spoke to her like that. Sokka yells from the front of their little train, “Yeah! Dad is super proud, but of course Dad would have been proud if she had chosen dance major, heh!” which earns him a prompt smack on the back of the head from Suki, “What’s wrong with being a dance major!”

“Nothing! Nothing! I’m just...trying to make a point!”

“Well, don’t.”

“Noted.”

Katara looks to Zuko next, as he hasn’t said anything yet, but he seems lost in thought, until he blurts out as if he couldn’t contain the question within him. “What made you choose that? Why not med school? You’ve already taken some of the pre-reqs in your freshman year.”

And it's because she knows him, she knows his intent isn’t to belittle her choices. That may have been the case back when she thought him a snobby asshole. But now, she just shakes her head, her hair moving softly along the frame of her face. “I’ve been around so many of my dad’s vet buddies growing up, and listened to them share their experiences with recovery from severe injuries, mobility loss, amputations. I always knew I wanted to be around resilient people like that, helping them on their journey to regain what they thought they had lost. Kinesiology, physical therapy, whatever you wanna call it, it just ...fit.” she finishes as her heart is set to a flutter, just like any other time she’s talking about something she is passionate about.

And Zuko has that little half smile on his face which crinkles the corners of his eyes a little bit, and it doesn’t help the fluttering in her ribcage. He nods in understanding, his eyes holding an intensity Katara seems to want to explore, but too soon he returns his attention to the sidewalk.

They make it back to Sokka’s place, taking off their shoes and arguing over which movie or show to put on. “I kinda wanna watch Dance of the Dragons”, Aang says as he props up on the couch, grabbing the remote quickly before Sokka can lay claim to it, and starts flipping through the list of movies while decidedly ignoring Sokka’s attempts at reacquiring the remote from him.

Suki hums in consideration as she settles down on the floor in a pile of cushions leaning against the couch, and beckons Sokka to join her there.

“Nah! It relies too much on crappy CGI visuals.” she adds as Sokka brings Toph along with him to join their pillow pile. “As long as the soundtrack is good, and the dialogue’s not too mushy, I’m game!” Toph announces, while her eyelids are already drooping, and she stifles a yawn.

As if on cue, Zuko chimes dryly from the kitchen, where he’s probably putting the kettle on, “You’re gonna pass out in the first 15 minutes! Aang, trust me, put on Dragon of the West! That’s the best one out of the whole franchise!”

“Spirits! You’re taking too long to decide!” Katara huffs as she sits next to Aang and snatches the remote away from him in a swift move, already entering the name of the movie she knows everyone will shut up and enjoy.

“You’re putting on Tui and La again!” Sokka groans, rubbing his hand on his forehead as if this is going to cause him personal anguish. She chucks another cushion at him, how he has so many cushions can only be blamed on Suki’s influence. “Shut your yap! You cried the last time you watched it!” she retaliates.

Toph perks up immediately, “Aaw! Did the love story tug at your heart strings? Did Yue’s sacrifice melt the steel of your masculinity?” she pokes at his ribs with every syllable. He looks to Suki for defense, who is too far gone in the fit of giggles to be any use to him. “Stop that! I am a man,” he readjusts his shirt in a dignified manner, “in touch with my emotions! Toph I’m gonna punt you across the room!”

“Oh yeah?! Try me pretty boy!” and they’re really this close to wrestling, with Suki playing ref.

“Agni!” Zuko walks in with a tray full of mismatched cups of oolong tea, the fragrance already mingling with their laughter, “can’t leave you guys alone for a minute.” He sets the tray down at the little coffee table, and as everyone grabs their cup, he settles down next to Katara on the couch, so that she’s sandwiched between him and Aang. She is comfortable enough in the moment that she doesn’t think about it, and slightly curls into herself and her body automatically leans to the side where Zuko sits. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything, but shifts his arm in a way that it won’t bother her if she fell asleep right there.

Sure enough, Toph is softly snoring within 10 minutes, Suki adjusts a throw blanket on her, and Sokka moves her tea cup away so she won’t accidentally spill it. Katara’s eyes are intently following the love story unfold, the conflict, the drama, the kiss! At that moment, the room feels too silent, her brother and Suki too much in love, her body too close to Zuko’s warmth, and she can’t help but go rigid at this sudden realization.

She abruptly gets up and mumbles an excuse about the bathroom and tries not to trip over Toph’s legs in her rush to leave the stifling awakening in her heart.

“What ...the hell? You overthinking dumbass. It’s just a movie, Zuko has a high metabolism, and I am tired. That is all. "

She repeats to herself mentaly, verbally, while staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She’s blushing.

That’s dumb.

Stop blushing!

She takes a deep breath, collects her hair in a top bun, and walks out of the bathroom to find everyone dispersed from their original spots. It seems her getting up broke the spell for everyone else. Sokka is settling Toph on the couch without waking her up, as Katara comes up to grab her purse.

She kisses Toph on the forehead before giving Sokka a hug. “I’ll see you Saturday ok?” he says into her hair, knowing how much good bye sucks for both of them. She nods, and then gives a quick hug to Suki who will definitely be sleeping over from the looks of it, and then Aang, who is Sokka’s flatmate. Zuko is standing by the door by the time she’s said her goodbyes and she looks up at him, “You’re not staying either?”

“I have to open the shop for Uncle tomorrow” he says as an answer, waving his goodbyes to the group. He was always a silent exit type of guy. She hums her understanding while putting on her boots.

‘Wait, you’re taking a cab to your apartment right?” Sokka suddenly calls out from the living room, and Katara makes a face. She had been planning on saving the money and taking a nice walk back to her place.

He takes one look at her face and Sokka The Big Brother is out. “How many times have I-” “I’m not a baby! I can kick anybody’s ass!” “I don’t doubt that! But the world is full off cunning assholes-” Katara knows where this is coming from, but she pushes back still. They can’t live in the fear of the memory of their mother’s murder forever.

“Sokka, I’ll be fine! Please listen to me!”

“I’m walking her home!” Zuko all but yells, before Sokka’s face gets any redder. He clamps Sokka’s hand in their tribes’ way of handshake, knowing how much more that means to him in a moment like this.

Katara is too stunned to say anything. It’s not like Zuko doesn’t care for them, but Katara lives in the exact opposite direction to where he lives with his uncle, why would he choose to waste 45 minutes walking in the middle of the night, when she’s completely capable of doing this on her own! Sokka however deflates, and points at Katara, “Text me when you get home!”

She makes a face at him and walks out of his apartment with Zuko in row. When they’re in the lobby, and she’s had some more time to mull it over, she turns around before stepping out of the building, blocking his way to the door. “You know you don’t have to walk me back right? I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”

She stands up straighter than normal, as if it emphasizes her point.

Zuko huffs in mild annoyance, knowing this was coming. He pinches the bridge of his nose, “I know that Katara, I never doubt it. Sokka knows it too. It’s not a matter of not trusting you, it’s a matter of knowing what’s out there in a city like this, at a time like this, for a pretty girl like y-”

He sputters.

“I mean- for any woman out there- pretty or not- not that you’re not! Agni! Just let me walk you home, I promised Sokka!”

He sounds pained.

Katara can’t hide her smile, but nods and gets out of his way. They step out into the night that is still buzzing with the sound of the city, friends and couples quickly making their way to their destinations. She lives about 10 blocks from Sokka’s place, which is not too far in the daylight, but at the 11:45 pm hour of the night, it’s looking like a monumental task.

She tucks a strand of her hair behind one ear, “So... um..how are you?” Smooth.

She facepalms internally, but braves on for the sake of conversation. “How’s Azula?” She asks, knowing he doesn’t like to talk about her too openly with everyone. He looks at her sideways, while stuffing his hand in his pockets, “She seems to be doing better, at least according to her doctor.” He adds the last part with a note of irritation.

She stays silent, hoping he’ll elaborate. “It’s just..” he brings his hand out of this pocket and runs it through his hair, which he’d always kept on the longer side but not long enough to put in a bun, “when I went to see her last week, she still wasn’t… I don’t know!”

She puts a hand on his arm, their pace slowing down a little, “Give her time Zuko, and trust the process. She needs to..unlearn and learn a lot of things.” He looks at her, fully facing her, and they share that moment of knowing, as if he’s trying to thank her, worship her, scorch her, deny her, all in the same breath.

“Zuko-” She doesn’t know what she wants to say.

“Um-HEY!”

All of a sudden, his hands are around her waist, and he’s spinning her around into the alleyway to their left, and presses a finger to his lips and flickers her eyes towards the street. The questions, protests, the loud thud of her heartbeat die down a little bit to allow her to listen.

There are quick footsteps, “Where the fuck did they go?” Katara’s eyes widen, and Zuko silently shifts them further into the shadows. Katara’s breath is coming in shallow, her eyes are wide, and she realizes Zuko is towering over her, mere inches away from her body, one hand curled around her back, and the other leaning against the wall, supporting his weight.

She is trying her best to pay attention to the street, but her eyes keep landing on his lips, and it’s the height difference, it’s not her fault! She swallows thickly, when he looks back down at her, his eyes holding a command at her to stay still. She nods lightly, his hand simultaneously feather light and burning hot on her back. She feels enveloped, and the fear doesn’t even get a chance to settle in.

Their attention goes back to the street when they hear footsteps again, but fading away from them this time.

Zuko holds his finger up to his lips again, but they are so close that his pinky brushes against her nose, and the breath hitches involuntarily in her throat. There is a knot building in her lower abdomen and she’s unsure if anything can let it loose. This time it’s Zuko’s turn to flicker his eyes down at her lips, and when he hears her little gasp his pupils respond in kind.

But all of a sudden he’s stepping away from her, and his absence is filled by the chilled night air. Katara takes a ragged breath in, and silently waits for Zuko to give the all clear. He nods at her, and they step out into the sidewalk once more. This time, their steps are hurried.

This time, their hands seem to gravitate towards each others’, near, aware of each other, not close enough.


End file.
